The Washington State Department of Health recently released their updated COVID guidance and requirements for K-12 schools. 

Key updates are below. 

Changes Effective March 12

• Masks become optional in all school facilities & buses, except in health rooms. 

• Contact tracing is no longer required. 

• Physical distancing (3 and 6 feet) is no longer required. Districts are encouraged to maintain physical distancing as much as possible without interfering with the school’s instructional, social/ emotional/ behavioral, and operational needs. 

• Sports testing is no longer required. 

Phased-in Changes

• Building principals will assess desk arrangements, cafeteria set-up, recess cohorts, and other building changes. These changes will likely be implemented during the week of March 21.

• Field trips and expanded volunteer programs will likely be phased in after Spring Break. 

Other requirements remaining in place*

• All employees & volunteers in educational settings are required to be fully vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption.**

• Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate at home following current DOH and CDC isolation guidelines, regardless of vaccination status.

• Staff will continue to be notified when there is an exposure in their school/ department. 

• The district will continue to update the COVID dashboard every other week. 

• School-Based Testing remains in place for students and staff to access an on-site COVID test. More information can be found here: http://www.asd103.org/departments_and_programs/health_services___students_/test_to_stay_program

The district will continue to take a cautious approach in removing mitigation measures, following state and local guidance. 

Thank you for your continued support and flexibility throughout the pandemic. 

*A full list is available in the updated guidance: https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/821-165-K12SchoolsChildCare.pdf

**A person is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or a single dose COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen) authorized for emergency use, licensed, or otherwise approved by the FDA or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization.